[blml] convention

[Tim West-Meads]

Sven,

Can you just confirm that in your interpretation a 2H opening bid which 
promises "two of the top three honours" (ie would not be opened with 
AJxxxx) is conventional, as is an agreement that the minimum suit 
quality requirement for a vulnerable 2H bid of KJTxxx (A76543 would not 
suffice) is also conventional?

I think you need to understand that "specific high card strength" is not 
"other than high card strength".  It's the same as the standards we 
apply to length - the definition says "3+" but we don't rule bids as 
conventional merely because they promise 4+/5+/6+ etc.

The legal definition really *isn't* hard to understand or to work with.  
It accords with the concepts of showing length/values/stoppers naturally 
(as well as the "OK, I'm prepared to play here" usage.


> In my opinion all my examples are indeed "Conventional" although 
> according to your reading of the definitions (I believe) the
> consequence would  be that they are not.

I think you are misreading the phrase in law "However, an agreement as 
to overall strength does not make a call a convention."  This phrase 
means that a call which is not conventional (by virtue of conveying 
willingness to play, length, or HCS) does not *become* conventional 
merely by the additional attachment of a value range.  Where a 
call carries none of the "natural" meanings it will be conventional 
regardless of whether a range of values is attached. (Precision 1C/1D, 
Acol2C etc are all conventional).

Tim